Biographies of Indigenous Women

Updated October 8, 2025
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Chippewa River District Library System Chippewa River District Library System
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Biographies of Indigenous Women

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Autumn Peltier, water warrior
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Bridget George comes a must-read companion to the powerful, award-winning picture book We Are Water Protectors. Telling the story of reall-ife water protectors, Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior celebrates...
Sharice's big voice : a native kid becomes a congresswoman
Davids, Sharice
Paper Book
This acclaimed picture book autobiography tells the triumphant story of Sharice Davids, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, and the first LGBTQ congressperson to represent Kansas. When Sharice Davids was young, she never thought she'd be in Congress....
The heartbeat drum : the story of Carol Powder, Cree drummer and activist
Havrelock, Deidre
Paper Book
Author Deidre Havrelock's and illustrator Aphelandra's The Heartbeat Drum is an uplifting picture book biography of a Cree activist and musician who founded an Indigenous hand drumming group, led by women and children, that spreads joy, healing, and unity ...
Toypurina : Japchivit leader, medicine woman, Tongva rebel
Stone, Cheyenne M.
Paper Book
Tired of being subjected to Spanish colonization, medicine woman Toypurina led a revolt against the San Gabriel mission in California on October 25, 1785. This bold picture book highlights an important, lesser-known leader in Indigenous history. Lushly illustrated by Tongva artist Katie Dorame.<...
Indigenous peoples : women who made a difference
Philips, Katrina M.
Paper Book
Meet the Super SHEroes of History, the women who have shaped history and society since ancient times. Indigenous women were prominent members of their communities long before Europeans reached North America. When the newcomers arrived, they played a key role in holding their communities...
Deb Haaland
Goodluck, Laurel
Paper Book
Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Deb Haaland! A 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book! ...
The untold story of Mary Golda Ross : pioneering space engineer
Phillips, Katrina M.
You may have heard about "human computers" like Katherine Johnson who were essential to NASA's space program. But there were other women who also played key roles in the space race--like Cherokee engineer Mary Golda Ross who became Lockheed Martin's first female engineer and later worked on projects...
Wilma Mankiller
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Wilma Mankiller! A 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book!
The first woman Cherokee Chief : Wilma Pearl Mankiller
Buckley, Patricia Morris
Paper Book
Find out all about Wilma Pearl Mankiller, the first woman Cherokee chief whose image appears on the U.S. quarter, in this Step 3 Biography Reader. In 1985, Wilma Pearl Mankiller became the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She had to convince her people that the...
Ella Cara Deloria : Dakota language protector
Wilson, Diane
Paper Book
The Minnesota Humanities Center presents Minnesota Native American Lives, three stories of exceptional individuals across sports, language, and government! Ella Cara Deloria loved to listen to her family tell stories in the Dakota language. She recorded many...
Maria Tallchief
Day, Christine
Paper Book
Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Maria Tallchief! A 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book!...
Peggy Flanagan : Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor
Engelking, Jessica
Paper Book
Peggy Flanagan is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. This is the second-highest office in the state. She is the first Native woman to hold such a high elected statewide office in the United States. Her whole life she knew that the school system doesn't tell American Indian stories in a true way....
Native women changing their worlds
Cutright, Patricia J.
Paper Book
Key Selling Points Provides an in-depth look at the lives of Indigenous women. Many of these women have faced unimaginable hardships--racial and gender discrimination, abuse and extreme poverty--but ultimately became leaders in their fields and communities. The...
Classified : the secret career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee aerospace engineer
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
An American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Honor Picture Book Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her...
Wilma's way home : the life of Wilma Mankiller
Rappaport, Doreen
Paper Book
This powerfully illustrated picture book biography tells the courageous life story of Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation. As a child in Oklahoma, Wilma Mankiller experienced the Cherokee practice of Gadugi, helping each other, even when...
Buffalo Bird Girl : a Hidatsa story
Nelson, S. D.
Paper Book
This fascinating picture book biography tells the childhood story of Buffalo Bird Woman, a Hidatsa Indian born around 1839. Through her true story, readers will learn what it was like to be part of this Native American community that lived along the Missouri River in the Dakotas, a society that...
She sang promise : the story of Betty Mae Jumper, Seminole tribal leader
Annino, Jan Godown
Paper Book
She Sang Promise is the compelling and inspiring story of Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, one of modern America's first female elected tribal leader. With its lyrical, poetic text, and rich, vibrant illustration, this is a book to charm and amaze young readers.Betty Mae Tiger Jumper was born in 1923, the...
The true story of Pocahontas : the other side of history
Custalow, Linwood.
Paper Book
The True Story of Pocahontas is the first public publication of the Powhatan perspective that has been maintained and passed down from generation to generation within the Mattaponi Tribe, and the first written history of Pocahontas by her own people.
Find this list online: https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/2786.5012/list/6537

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